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AUSPOLLIEWATCH EVERY CLAIM LINKS TO ITS SOURCE · NOT A SCORECARD

Portrait of Penny Wong

Penny Wong

Australian Labor Party · Senate · SA · incumbent

Early life & education encyclopedia

Penelope Ying-Yen Wong was born on 5 November 1968 in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, to Jane (née Chapman) and Francis Wong, an architect and town planner from Sandakan; after her parents separated she moved with her mother and younger brother to Adelaide, South Australia. She was educated at Scotch College before attending the University of Adelaide, graduating in 1993 with Bachelor of Arts (Jurisprudence) and Bachelor of Laws degrees. She then worked as a lawyer and political advisor before winning a Senate seat at the 2001 election.

Background encyclopedia

Minister for Foreign Affairs (cabinet) in the Second Albanese ministry, sworn in on 13 May 2025. Australian Labor Party senator for South Australia.

Federal ministry Minister for Foreign Affairs (Second Albanese ministry). [the ministry] [source]

Elected 2022 · SA WONG, Penny (Australian Labor Party) was declared elected 2nd of 6 at the 2022 federal election. [AEC results]

Sourced positions

Each position is the member's own stated view or vote, supported by the listed sources. The badge says what kind of source backs it — official record (Hansard, a parliament, a government or an electoral commission), own statement (their own site or their party's), news report (journalism or a third-party organisation) or encyclopedia. That is a statement about the evidence, not about how much we believe it. This page records public statements and conduct only — see methodology.

AyeNoPairedDid not vote

Immigration encyclopedia

As Foreign Minister, Wong stated that her government would consider New Zealand's concerns about Australia's Section 501 deportation policy, which had strained relations between the two countries.

Votes on record · 4

Faith & religion encyclopedia

Wong is described as a practising Christian and a member of the Uniting Church in Australia; she is quoted saying "I do not ever remember having the sense that I denied the existence of God."

Foreign policy & aid encyclopedia

As Foreign Minister, Wong said in April 2024 that Australia would consider recognising Palestinian statehood as a means of facilitating a two-state solution, but clarified the May 2024 UN General Assembly vote supporting Palestinian membership of the United Nations did not mean recognition, which would come only "when we think the time is right." She described Israel's planned Rafah offensive as "unjustifiable" (February 2024), paused UNRWA funding in February 2024 pending Israeli evidence, and in June 2025 announced Australia would sanction Israeli ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich. She sought to improve relations with China, becoming the first Australian cabinet minister to visit China since 2019 (December 2022).

Votes on record · 2

Citizenship (s44 eligibility) encyclopedia

Wong was born in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, and held Malaysian citizenship, which she renounced in 2001; she was elected to the Senate at the 2001 election, her term commencing on 1 July 2002.

Economy & tax recorded votes

Votes on record · 8

Welfare & social services recorded votes

Votes on record · 3

Workplace & industrial relations recorded votes

Votes on record · 2

Freedom of speech official record

Voted against the second reading of the Human Rights Legislation Amendment Bill 2017, which proposed replacing 'offend, insult, humiliate' with 'harass' in section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act (Senate, 30 March 2017; Ayes 32, Noes 29). Voted against Schedule 1 of that bill standing as printed, the provision making the substitution; the Schedule was negatived and the change did not proceed (Senate, in committee, 30-31 March 2017; Ayes 28, Noes 31).

Votes on record · 3

  • ⇄Online Safety Amendment (Strengthening Enforcement for the Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2026Strengthens enforcement of the law setting a minimum age of 16 for social media, after the eSafety Commissioner found major platforms not complying.Senate · Second reading carried 31–22 · Third reading carried 31–209 Sep 2026 ↗10 Sep 2026 ↗
  • ✗Human Rights Legislation Amendment Bill 2017Would have replaced 'offend', 'insult' and 'humiliate' with 'harass' in section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975, so that the section would cover conduct reasonably likely to harass or intimidate a person on the basis of race, judged by the standard of a reasonable member of the Australian community, and changed how the Australian Human Rights Commission handles complaints so that unmeritorious complaints are discouraged or dismissed.Second reading · Senate · 45th Parliament · carried 32–2930 Mar 2017 ↗

Drugs & law and order recorded votes

Votes on record · 7

Gambling & gaming reform recorded votes

Votes on record · 1

First Nations & treaty recorded votes

Votes on record · 2

Integrity & anti-corruption recorded votes

Votes on record · 9

Housing & planning recorded votes

Votes on record · 3

  • ⇄Housing Australia Amendment (Accountability) Bill 2025Liberal senator Wendy Askew's bill to make changes to Housing Australia's investment mandate — including the Home Guarantee Scheme — subject to parliamentary disallowance rather than ministerial direction alone.Second and third reading · Senate · carried 36–2526 Mar 2026 ↗
  • ⇄Housing Investment Probity Bill 2024Liberal senator Andrew Bragg's bill to bar the Housing Australia Future Fund from dealing with the CFMEU or organisations connected with it, including the Cbus super fund.Second reading · Senate · negatived 26–3626 Mar 2026 ↗

Health recorded votes

Votes on record · 6

Education recorded votes

Votes on record · 2

Transport & infrastructure recorded votes

Votes on record · 2

Energy recorded votes

Votes on record · 1

Environment & water recorded votes

Votes on record · 2

Votes are shown as the official record lists them — Hansard federally and in New South Wales; Votes and Proceedings, Minutes of the Proceedings and Hansard in Victoria; the Record of Proceedings in Queensland; the Votes and Proceedings and Minutes of Proceedings in Western Australia; the Votes and Proceedings (House of Assembly) and Hansard (Legislative Council) in South Australia; the Votes and Proceedings of both chambers in Tasmania. "Did not vote" means the member held the seat that day and is on neither list — the record says who was in the chamber, not why, so it is never an abstention. Western Australia’s record prints no pairs, so a member paired there shows as did not vote. Nothing is shown for a presiding officer who by law gives only a casting vote (the Speaker and the President in South Australia, the President in Tasmania), nor for the member presiding at a Tasmanian division, which Tasmania’s journals record. Which bills sit under which issue is an editorial choice, made bill by bill with a reason read from the second-reading speech. A bill decided by an earlier parliament (Queensland’s 2018 abortion law reform, for one) is shown with that parliament named, read from the official record of the day. For Queensland and the federal parliament “did not vote” there means the member held a seat that day, as their service is recorded; for the other earlier parliaments the record of who held a seat could not be read, so only the printed Aye, No and paired votes are shown.

Record last updated 2026-10-10.